Protecting and grip-enhancing device

ABSTRACT

A protecting and grip-enhancing device includes an inner body formed of a first material and having opposite outer sides, a thermally insulating outer body formed of a second material and secured to at least one outer side of the inner body and continuously covering a substantial portion thereof, and hinge structure joining two adjacent regions of the device to facilitate folding of the adjacent regions relative to each other along the hinge structure. Plural hinge structures may be provided, each including a reduced thickness of outer body material and stitching extending through the reduced thickness and an underlying portion of the inner body. The outer body may include relatively thick and relatively thin regions and the thick region may include alternating raised ribs and open-ended channels. The device may be in the form of a mitt or a potholder.

BACKGROUND

This application relates to devices, such as potholders, oven mitts and similar devices for protecting a user's hand or other surfaces from contact with hot or cold articles, such as cooking pots, pans, lids, handles, grills, grill tools and the like.

Heretofore, thermal protective devices, such as potholders, mitts and the like, have been formed of suitable cloth or textile materials, such as cotton, the amount of thermal protection being afforded being essentially proportional to the thickness of the material. However, such cloth devices provide relatively poor temperature control, are subject to scorching or burning, and are not water-repellent or stain-resistant. Also, they can tend to be relatively slippery in use. Accordingly, it has been known heretofore to provide such cloth devices with coverings or coatings of thermally-insulating and/or grip-enhancing materials over all or portions of the outer surfaces of the devices. Alternatively, it is known to provide devices made entirely of such thermally insulating and/or grip-enhancing materials. However, such devices may tend to be relatively stiff or inflexible in use because of the nature of the material used or the additional thicknesses of the materials used, and may lack moisture control if formed of essentially non-absorbent and/or non-breathable materials. Thus, such devices may not provide optimal combinations of thermal insulation and grip-enhancing characteristics.

SUMMARY

There is disclosed herein an improved protecting and grip-enhancing device which avoids disadvantages of prior devices while affording additional structural and operating advantages.

An aspect of the disclosure is the provision of a device with both effective thermal insulation and improved grip enhancement, wherein the grip enhancement results from improved frictional or non-slip characteristics and/or improved flexibility to enhance dexterity.

Another aspect is the provision of a device of the type set forth which is double-sided and reversible.

Another aspect is the provision of a device of the type set forth which has improved patterns of thermally insulating and grip-enhancing features.

Certain ones of these and other aspects may be attained by providing a protecting and grip-enhancing device comprising an inner body formed of a first material and having opposite outer sides, a thermally insulating outer body formed of a second material secured to at least one outer side of the inner body and continuously covering a substantial portion thereof, and hinge structure joining two adjacent regions of the device to facilitate folding of the adjacent regions relative to each other along the hinge structure.

Other aspects may be attained by providing a device of the type set forth, wherein the outer body includes a first region having a first thickness and a second region peripheral to the first region and having a second thickness less than the first thickness.

Still other aspects may be attained by providing a device of the type set forth, wherein the outer body includes a plurality of alternating raised ribs and open-ended channels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected, there are illustrated in the accompanying drawings embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a mitt in accordance with a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of a mitt in accordance with another embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a potholder in accordance with another embodiment;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of a circled portion designated 6 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of a circled portion designated 7 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of a circled portion designated 8 in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of a circled portion designated 9 in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 6 and 7, there is illustrated a hand protecting and grip-enhancing device in the nature of a mitt 10, which includes a body assembly 11 arranged to define a pocket 12 (FIG. 2) having a finger-receiving portion 13 for receiving all of a user's fingers, a thumb-receiving portion 14 and a wrist-receiving portion 15, the latter portion being open to permit insertion of the user's hand. The mitt 10 is designed to be reversible, having opposite outer sides 16 and 17 (FIG. 2) which are substantially identical, so that the mitt can be worn on either hand. FIG. 1 shows the side 16 of the mitt 10, which would be the side engaging a user's palm if the mitt is worn on the user's left hand. It will be appreciated that the opposite side 17 would be the palm-engaging side if the mitt were worn on the user's right hand.

The body assembly 11 includes an inner body 20 formed of fabric or textile materials, and an outer body 25, which is secured to the outer surface of the inner body 20, substantially along the finger-receiving and thumb-receiving portions 13 and 14, since those are the portions most likely to come into contact with a hot or cold article. Referring in particular to FIGS. 2, 6 and 7, the inner body 20 may include several layers of material, including, for example, an inner, hand-engaging layer 21 of a suitable soft, absorbent and comfortable material, such as terry cloth, a filler layer 22, formed of a material such as cotton, and an outer liner 23, which may formed of cotton or other suitable material. While an essentially three-layer inner body construction has been illustrated, it will be appreciated that any desired number of layers could be utilized and various types of fabric or textile materials could be used.

The outer body 25 is formed of a suitable frictional and thermally insulating material, such as silicone, which may be overmolded on the outer surface of the inner body 20 or, alternatively, could be applied by other techniques, such as suitable adhesive or bonding or stitching, and the like. The outer body 25 covers substantially all of the finger-receiving and thumb-receiving portions 13 and 14, having a relatively thick region 26 which covers the majority of the area of the finger-receiving portion 13 and thumb-receiving portion 14, particularly along the inner or facing portions thereof, and a thin region 27, which is disposed along the outer periphery of the thick region 26. It will be appreciated that the thick region 26 is that which is most likely to come into contact with the associated article being grasped and where most of the gripping pressure between thumb and fingers will be applied. While the thin region 27 may come into contact with hot or cold surfaces, such as when reaching into an oven or other confined space in order to grasp an object, it is not at a location where gripping pressure will be applied and, therefore, less thermal protection need be afforded. The relative difference in thickness between the thick and thin regions 26 and 27 may be seen from FIG. 2, although it will be appreciated that other thickness differences could be utilized. The wrist-receiving portion 15 does not include the outer body 25, since it is unlikely to come into contact with very hot or very cold surfaces and, therefore, the inner body 20 alone affords adequate protection. The free edges of the layers of the inner body 20 at the open end of the wrist-receiving portion 15 may be covered with a suitable trim piece 29, which may be formed of any desired fabric material, such as cotton, and may be stitched in place to protect the free ends of the inner body layers and to provide a more decorative and attractive appearance.

Because of the thickness and relative stiffness of the outer body 25, particularly the thick region 26 thereof, as compared to the inner body 20, the mitt 10 may be somewhat difficult to manipulate. In order to enhance flexibility and dexterity to facilitate grasping of objects, there are provided a plurality of hinge structures 30 extending across each side of the finger-receiving portion 13 and the thumb-receiving portion 14. Each hinge structure 30 essentially defines a hinge line 31, most being straight lines, along which adjacent portions of the mitt may be relatively easily folded or bent. More specifically, referring in particular to FIGS. 2 and 6, each hinge structure 30 includes a thinned outer body region 32 along which a line of stitching 33 is formed extending from the outer surface of the outer body 25 to the pocket 12. Thus, there are defined a plurality of bend lines along which adjacent portions of the mitt 10 can relatively easily be bent or flexed. Additionally, if desired, a line of stitching 34 may be formed along the outer periphery of the thin region 27 to provide an enhanced attachment to the inner body 20 and inhibit delamination of the outer body 25 at its outer edge.

In fabrication, it will be appreciated that the two sides 16 and 17 of the mitt 10 may be separately formed as two different bodies which are then laid back to back in overlapping relationship, with the outer bodies 25 in facing contact with each other, and the two pieces may then be stitched together along a seam 35 along the entire periphery of the mitt 10, except at the open end of wrist-receiving portion 15. Then the seamed-together pieces may be turned inside out to result in the finished configuration shown in FIG. 2, all in a known manner. In this regard, the thick region 26 of the outer body 25 may be provided with a very thin margin portion to facilitate stitching of the seam 35 therethrough and inversion of the seamed mitt.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, 8 and 9, there is illustrated an alternative embodiment of mitt, generally designated by the numeral 40, which is substantially the same as the mitt 10, described above, except that it has a differently configured outer body 45. FIG. 3 shows the opposite side of the mitt from that shown in FIG. 1. In this case, it can be seen that the outer body 45 has an end edge which defines a straight line at 44, along which a line of stitching may be provided to inhibit delamination, as was explained above. The outer body 45 has a thick region 46 which extends along substantially the same area of the mitt 10 as the thick region 26, described above, and a thin region 47 which, as can be seen, is slightly larger than the thin region 27, described above. However, in this case, the thick region 46 is provided with a plurality of alternating ribs 48 and grooves 49 arranged along substantially straight lines which are substantially parallel to the adjacent ones of the hinge structures 30. Since the hinge structures 30 are formed along non-parallel lines, some of the ribs and grooves are generally wedge-shaped, as at 43. This ribbing provides a further improvement of the grip-enhancing function of the outer body 25, and the grooves 49, which are open-ended, define air flow channels to further enhance the thermal insulating characteristics of the outer body 45.

While, in the illustrated embodiments, each of the mitts 10 and 40 is substantially identically configured on the opposite sides thereof, it will be appreciated that this need not be the case. For example, if desired, the outer body arrangement 25 could be disposed on one side of the mitt while the outer body 45 could be disposed on the other side thereof. Other arrangements could also be utilized.

Referring to FIG. 5, there is illustrated another protecting device in the nature of a potholder 50, which is shown as a substantially square, flat device, which may be formed of inner and outer bodies substantially in the same manner as the mitt, described above. More specifically, the potholder 50 could have an inner body of fabric or textile material either single-layered or multi-layered, covered on both sides thereof with an outer body 65 (one shown) of a non-slip and thermally insulating material, such as silicone. In the illustrated embodiment, the outer body 65 has an inner thick region 66 surrounded by a peripheral thin region 67. Also, there are formed across the potholder 50 a plurality of hinge structures 70, each of which may be substantially identical to the hinge structures 30, described above in connection with FIGS. 1-4, to facilitate flexing of the potholder 50 when it is used for manual grasping of an object. Thus, the potholder 50 provides two types of grip enhancement, viz., non-slip and flexibility. It will be appreciated that the potholder 50 could have any desired size and shape and, depending upon the thicknesses of the material used, the hinge structures 70 may or may not be desired. The potholder may, of course, be used to protect a user's hand while grasping an object or may be used as a trivet beneath an object to protect an underlying surface.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that there has been provided an improved protecting device which performs improved grip-enhancing and thermally insulating functions and is reversible in use.

The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants' contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art. 

1. A protecting and grip-enhancing device comprising: an inner body formed of a first material and having opposite outer sides, a thermally insulating outer body formed of a second material secured to at least one outer side of the inner body and continuously covering a substantial portion thereof, and hinge structure joining two adjacent regions of the device to facilitate folding of the adjacent regions relative to each other along the hinge structure.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the hinge structure includes a reduced-thickness portion of the outer body.
 3. The device of claim 2, wherein the hinge structure includes stitching extending through the reduced-thickness portion of the outer body and an underlying portion of the inner body.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the hinge structure includes stitching extending through the outer body and an underlying portion of the inner body.
 5. The device of claim 1, wherein the hinge structure is a first hinge structure joining two first adjacent regions, the device further comprising at least one additional hinge structure joining two additional adjacent regions of the device to facilitate folding of the additional adjacent regions relative to each other along the additional hinge structure.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the outer body is secured to both outer sides of the inner body and continuously covers a substantial portion of each such outer side.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the inner body defines a hand-receiving pocket.
 8. The device of claim 7, wherein the inner body forms a mitt wherein the pocket includes a thumb-receiving portion and a finger-receiving portion.
 9. A protecting and grip-enhancing device comprising: an inner body formed of a first material and having opposite outer sides, and a thermally insulating outer body formed of a second material secured to at least one outer side of the inner body and continuously covering a substantial portion thereof, the outer body including a first region having a first thickness and a second region peripheral to the first region and having a second thickness less than the first thickness.
 10. The device of claim 9, wherein the outer body is secured to both of the outer sides of the inner body and continuously covers a substantial portion of each such outer side.
 11. The device of claim 9, wherein the inner body defines a hand-receiving pocket.
 12. The device of claim 11, wherein the inner body forms a mitt wherein the pocket includes a thumb-receiving portion and a finger-receiving portion.
 13. The device of claim 12, wherein the first region encompasses adjacent areas of the thumb-receiving and finger-receiving portions of the pocket.
 14. The device of claim 9, and further comprising first hinge structure joining two first adjacent regions of the device to facilitate folding of the first adjacent regions relative to each other along the first hinge structure.
 15. The device of claim 14, wherein the first region includes a plurality of alternating raised ribs and open-ended channels.
 16. The device of claim 14, and further comprising at least one additional hinge structure joining two additional adjacent regions of the device to facilitate folding of the additional adjacent regions relative to each other along the additional hinge structure.
 17. A protecting and grip-enhancing device comprising: an inner body formed of a first material and having opposite outer sides, and a thermally insulating outer body formed of a second material secured to at least one outer side of the inner body and continuously covering a substantial portion thereof, the outer body including a plurality of alternating raised ribs and open-ended channels.
 18. The device of claim 17, and further comprising hinge structure joining two adjacent regions of the device to facilitate folding of the adjacent regions relative to each other along the hinge structure.
 19. The device of claim 18, wherein the hinge structure extends along a substantially straight line, the ribs and channels including ribs and channels extending substantially parallel to the straight line.
 20. The device of claim 17, and further comprising at least one additional hinge structure joining additional adjacent regions of the device to facilitate folding of the additional adjacent regions relative to each other along the additional hinge structure.
 21. The device of claim 20, wherein each of the hinge structures extends along a substantially straight line, each of the ribs and channels extending substantially parallel to an adjacent hinge structure. 